You're Not Alone
by Nibiru-Mul
Summary: Byron is alone on Valentine's Day, and wishes that he would have someone to understand how he feels. Luckily he finds out that he is not the only one without a love interest.


_**A/N:**__ I do not own Pokemon or Byron and Gardenia. They are property of Nintendo. I do, however, own a few of the characters mentioned._

_This is written in honor of Valentine's Day. I was trying to see how it feels to be lonely on this day. But I am saying that it is important to know that not having someone to hold your hand is not the end of the world. After all, I am kinda lonely today as well._

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**THE ESTATE OF NIBIRU-MUL PRESENTS**

**ALONE ON VALENTINE'S DAY**

Today is Valentine's Day. It is a happy day for many people. But not for me - Byron, the Gym Leader of Canalave City. Right now I am at the park - I'm the lonely guy with the purple hair and beard, clad in a plaid jacket, a grey scarf, and black pants. I look at all the couples, both young and old, kissing and holding hands. Even the Pokemon are together. I see pairs of Starly in the trees and pairs of Glameow playing together. I feel like I am the one who does not belong.

I used to have a loved one. My ex-wife Denise was once my soulmate. We used to be happy together. But then we grew apart, and we got a divorce. We still talk sometimes, but it's not always comfortable for me. I've gotten to the point where I blame myself for acting like such a jerk about it. But what keeps me from feeling down is my son Roark. I really love that boy, and despite our fallouts, we manage to stick together. I vowed that if I ever get remarried, I won't have any more children. That's because no kid could be as good in my eyes as Roark.

I really wish my marriage could have lasted. My parents have been married for a long time, and they get along great. I tell my father that I wanted things to be better, and he tells me not to beat myself up. My dad's parents had problems too, and they even got divorced as well.

I never met my grandfather, since he died soon after my parents got married. But I know my grandmother well - in fact, she's still alive, and she lives just outside of Eterna Forest. Sometimes I take Gardenia, the Eterna Gym Leader, with me. Grandma has a Drifblim named Fur Elise, who has been her companion since she was eight years old. Gardenia is afraid of Fur Elise, since she dreads Ghost Pokemon. Grandma's ghost stories don't help either.

Of course, I live alone too. I live in the southeast of Canalave City. My house is small. There are plenty of digging tools all around. Some people complain when they see all of them, but I'm not good at feng shui. In fact, I swore off the whole idea since I failed a feng shui class. My bedroom overlooks the canal. I keep a lot of stuff in my room to hide my worst treasures, such as the modeling pictures that I did for Jubilife TV years ago. Personally, I want to keep it lonely until I find someone else. Being lonely gets boring, though.

Sorry I got a little sidetracked. Sometimes I go into little rants. Being lonely at home means that there's no woman to be around me. There's no woman to watch cheesy romantic movies with. People would laugh at me if they knew I spent last weekend watching _Gone with the Wind_ with Riley since I didn't have anyone else to watch it with. Roark was busy that day, unfortunately. Watching a movie with your friends isn't the same as with a soulmate.

Believe me, I've tried dating, but it hasn't always worked. In the past four years I've been through three girlfriends. But one date was a total gossip, another one was kind of nutty, and the last one didn't like Roark. Now I think I'll let love come to me. Love waits.

I don't want people to think of Byron as this deranged lunatic whose cares more about digging than his own son. But that is what many people think of me. Roark has whole fan clubs dedicated to him, and many of them can't stand me. They make up exaggerated stories about me. And somehow they've managed to convince women my age about it.

A lot of women think I'm repulsive. They don't like my scruffy beard or unkempt hair. They also don't like it when I go around in sleeveless shirts. They don't like it that I drink. I admit, I do drink a lot of alcohol - and my breath kinda does smell of vodka. So maybe there is a reason why no one wants to be with me.

Wait a minute...it looks like Gardenia is coming this way!

"Hey, Gardenia," I said.

"Hello, Byron," said Gardenia.

"How's everything?" I asked.

Gardenia sat down next to me.

"Boring," said Gardenia. "Everyone seems to be with their partner on Valentine's Day - everyone except me."

"You're not the only one," I said. "I'm alone too. I have been for over a decade - ever since Denise and I called it quits."

"I just got out of a relationship too," said Gardenia. "You know that guy Leo? The one I met at the summer festival?"

"I know him," I said.

"Leo and I were going out for a while," said Gardenia, "and he broke up because he was being unfaithful to me. He fell in love with Marley. I am so angry with him! I can't believe Leo would do such a thing - I thought that I had finally found the right guy."

"That's too bad," I said. "I can understand."

"I know, Byron," said Gardenia.

"I can't get a good girlfriend," I said, "so here I am alone on Valentine's Day. This is always one of the hardest days for me. I just can't get a good girlfriend. Roark is able to get more dates than me. I guess that's just how it's going to be."

"Don't worry about it," said Gardenia. "Just let love come to you."

"I guess so," I said, "but this defeats the whole purpose of Valentine's Day."

"Byron," said Gardenia, "Valentine's Day is just one day. If anything, I usually think of it as just an excuse for people to buy greeting cards, flowers, and chocolates. Don't worry if you're single. There are plenty of single people out there. You shouldn't feel left out because of it."

"You're right," I said. "I never thought of Valentine's Day that way."

"Besides," said Gardenia, "we're still friends."

"That's true," said Byron. "And I've got my family as well."

"There you go," said Gardenia. "You have plenty of supporters."

Well there you have it. It's good to have regular friends instead of just girlfriends/boyfriends. Just don't get any idea that me and Gardenia are going out. We're just friends. Besides, I'm no sugar daddy XD.

**THE END**

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